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Go to Solutionm17 R4, Second SSD Recommendations
Hi,
I would like to upgrade my Alienware - m17 R4 with a second SSD for my steam games.
Recommendations would be great. I got one from Amazon but it was too small to fit.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GLX7TNT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thank you.
4551
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Posted July 13th, 2021 19:00
Hi @D_Troup welcome to this user to user discussion forum. This is not Dell Support.
The Samsung 2TB EVO Plus is a PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe 1.3 with Read/Write Speeds of up to 3,500/3,300 MB/s, and is suitable for installation in the m17 R4.
Macrium Software | Reflect Free Edition is sufficient to clone the Samsung 2TB EVO Plus to become your new OS(C:) boot drive.
The empty slot SSD2 does not come with a Thermal Shield, and please check if the SSD2 securing screw has been provided..
If the m17 R4 is going to be used under extreme heavy loading conditions, the fast Samsung 2TB EVO Plus, etc. will get hot, and a Thermal Shield is recommended to remove this extra heat.
The m17 laptop series has Hybrid Power Design to allow the Alienware m17 system to maintain full system performance under extreme heavy loading conditions. It does this by allowing power to be drawn from both the system battery with the ac adapter plugged in.
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[This user does not work for Dell and volunteers their free time. Please remember to say thank you by clicking on my thumb up icon.]4457
1
Posted June 4th, 2021 17:00
Too small to fit, you mean physically or not enough storage? That model does come in a 2 TB size. As for physically, that is a 2280 and is compatible with the system you have.
I am not a Dell employee...I am forum volunteer
Serious work on an E5430 and constantly building and working on an i5-6500 Desktop
4453
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Posted June 4th, 2021 17:00
Hi @GromUSA welcome to this user to user discussion forum. This is not Dell Support.
The m17 R4 Chipset says PCIe bus (data highway) is Up to Gen3. The SAMSUNG 980 PRO is PCIe Gen4 NVMe and will run at Gen3 read/write speeds in the m17 R4 system.
The m17 R4 has three Internal Slots, for Two M.2 2230/2280 drives and One M.2 2230 drive. The SAMSUNG 980 PRO has M.2 2280 form factor and can be installed into SSD-2 slot. Do not understand why OP says its physical size is too small to fit.
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1
Posted June 4th, 2021 18:00
Dell M.2 2280 SSD Thermal Shield RT4G1
[This user does not work for Dell and volunteers their free time. Please remember to say thank you by clicking on my thumb up icon.]4569
1
Posted July 13th, 2021 18:00
Not trying to hijack the thread but have a related question. Going to install a Samsung 2TB EVO Plus into the 2021 M17 R4 and make it the boot drive. Probably clone drive one then swap the Samsung to drive one. My question is, does the empty drive slot (two) come with a heat sink or would I need to provide it? And thank you for the part #. Is the second slot heat sink necessary?
3163
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Posted July 15th, 2021 10:00
Basically if it’s Gen 3 or 4 it works.
It can be sizes 2230-2280.
the second slot don’t come with a heat sink so check if it does (hint: probably not.)
buy the second heat sink if you need the second SSD.
*NOTE: I am NOT a Dell employee, But I am a Community Rockstar*Quick Tip: If your laptop has voltage / charging issues, try shutting it down, unplugging power from laptop, hold power button down for 30 seconds to do a full reset!
2616
2
Posted July 15th, 2021 13:00
Support for Alienware m17 R4 Storage says M.2 2280/2230 PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe.
Crucial System Advisor Tool for Alienware m17 R4 Storage says M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe.
If PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe installed, it will run at PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe read/write speeds.
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0
Posted November 11th, 2021 17:00
D_Troup, Did you install a heat sink with the new Samsung Evo Plus?
Where did you get it? Was it the Dell M.2 2280 SSD Thermal Shield RT4G1?
Thanks in advance.
crimsom
9 Technologist
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6114 Posts
4667
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Posted June 4th, 2021 18:00
Hi @GromUSA Crucial System Advisor Tool says m17 R4 can accept 2TB PCIe Gen 3 NVMe drives. Search on internet for ultrafast read/write M.2 drive, Samsung is a good option.
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